Board of Ed. assured field will be up to par Members vote to withhold payment to assess condition BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN - The road toward the completed athletic field at High School North has been filled with bumps and holes, which is just like the current condition of the brand-new turf that was installed, according to some critics. After a month of complaints by parents and Board of Education members, representatives of Mondo USA and the company's local distributor, Mathusek Inc., attended the board's meeting Nov. 20, to alleviate those concerns. In the end, the board voted to withhold future payments to Mondo USA until the field is completed and in acceptable condition. Earlier in the meeting Jared Mathusek, speaking for the installation company, gave an update on the progress of the field and what was being done to fix it. He said there are four major areas on the field that are listed on a punch list and that fixing the field could take a week depending on the weather. "It's a young field," Mathusek said. "We are still not completely done finishing it. I think you'll like the completed results." The updated punch list includes repairing wet areas throughout the field to improve drainage and straighten the lines between the 10-, 15-, 20-, and 25- yard lines on the west end of the field. "We are currently working on all of the punch-list items," Mathusek said. "We are battling the elements and we anticipate, if the weather holds out over the next week, to finish." Mathusek referred to the current field as "stunning" and "beautiful," which drew a loud response from the people in attendance, including one person who commented, "You are out of your mind." Board member Joan Minnuies was the most vocal member of the board as she gave her opinion to the representatives of Mondo USA. "There are lumps and bumps all over that field," Minnuies said. "I'm just really disappointed with the job that has been done. It doesn't look good at all." She spoke about how she recently walked on the field and felt as if the turf was dirt and that there was water up to her ankles. Mathusek assured Minnuies and the rest of those at the meeting that all issues are in the process of being resolved and that this is normal procedure for turf installation on brand-new fields. Installers are currently using hot meld and glue on the turf to fix the patches and are lifting up portions of the carpet to straighten the lines out, he explained. The board was also assured that the changes on the field are part of the warranty. "Every bit of the installation is covered on the warranty," Mathusek said. "We will take care of all the issues." Minnuies expressed concerns about the field's condition if it rains again after a heavy rainstorm last month flooded the field. "I don't think it was installed correctly," Minnuies said. "I don't want to see the word 'North' floating in puddles again. I'm embarrassed; I really had faith in your company. Every time we do turf it turns into a big disaster." She said that she would give Mondo USA a chance to fix the field before a reaching a final opinion on the field. "I just don't want to hear people laugh at our field anymore," Minnuies said. "I think your company can fix it, but if you think it looks beautiful, then I have little faith." Also speaking at the meeting was Middletown resident James Cody, who is a sales consultant for IC Improvements, a rival bidder in the original bidding process on the field, who criticized Mondo USA. Cody showed pictures of the lumps and uneven lines on the field to the board and described what he would have done if his company had installed the field. He said IC Improvements worked on the athletic field at High School South and that would have been similar to the field the company would have built at HS North. By law, Middletown had to accept the lowest bid for construction of the field and the lowest bidder was Mondo USA with a bid of $753,000. "We selected Mondo because they were the lowest bidder," board Secretary William Doering said. "It's something we were legally bound to accept." Cody described the field as full of mistakes and that it was completed not in accordance with industry standards. Matt Sheafer, sales representative for Mondo USA, addressed Cody's concerns as being a result of his company not getting the field contract. "I understand the local guy did not get the field," Sheafer said. "But we were the ones who won the bid." Sheafer spoke of the family-owned company and its achievements and assured those at the meeting that things were going to be OK. "It's a common standard to have a few dips in a field early in the process," Sheafer said. "We are not going to let our reputation be mired." After almost two hours of discussion, the board voted to withhold paying Mondo USA the $453,000 that was to be paid after Thanksgiving until the final condition of the field is seen. The board has been paying Mondo USA in installments; this was to be the second. Board member Patricia Walsh summed up what many at the public forum had been saying. "I have been getting many comments from the community which have led to some grave concerns," Walsh said. "We have a responsibility to the community to get this done right."